Ethiopia receives 12 Russian Su-35 fighter jets and plans to buy S-400 air defences
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the delivery during a visit to Moscow, saying the jets arrived a year early, as federal forces fight armed groups in Tigray and Amhara.
By Eyob Hadgu · 28 October 2026
A Su-35 fighter jet and an S-400 air-defence launcher, shown in an illustration. (Illustration)
Ethiopia has received 12 Russian Su-35 fighter jets and will acquire four S-400 air-defence batteries, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on X on Wednesday, 28 October, Al Jazeera reported. He made the announcement while in Moscow for the two-day Russia-Africa Summit.
Abiy said the jets arrived a year earlier than expected under an existing agreement, and thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for speeding up delivery. He did not give a date for the arrival of the S-400 systems.
He said the equipment would strengthen Ethiopia's ability to "preemptively deter aggression," describing the jets as newly deployed to defend Ethiopian airspace.
Growing military ties with Moscow
Ethiopia and Russia signed a military cooperation agreement in Addis Ababa in July 2021. In January, the defence publication Janes reported that Ethiopia had displayed new Russian Yak-130 trainer aircraft at its air force's 90th anniversary celebrations, according to Al Jazeera.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says Russia supplied 15 percent of Africa's major weapons imports between 2021 and 2025, making it the continent's third-largest supplier. Moscow is seeking closer security and economic ties with African countries despite Western sanctions over its war in Ukraine.
Fighting in Tigray and Amhara
The announcement comes as Ethiopia fights armed groups on several fronts. Government troops and allied forces entered Tigray's capital, Mekelle, on 4 October after fighters from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) withdrew, Al Jazeera reported. Addis Ababa has appointed a six-month caretaker administration for Tigray, but fighting continues, and the TPLF has claimed attacks on government-aligned troops in northwestern Tigray.
The 2022 Pretoria peace agreement, which ended two years of war in Tigray, has effectively been undone. Researchers at Ghent University estimate that war killed about 500,000 civilians.
Federal forces are also fighting Fano, an Amhara armed group that has battled government troops since 2023.
The delivery comes as Russia has offered to host talks between Ethiopia and Eritrea on the sidelines of the same summit, which Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki is also attending, Addis Standard reported.
This report draws on reporting by Al Jazeera and Addis Standard.
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